“Yes,” said Emma, turning to the jury, “for nearly twenty-five years.”

Mr. Trelford would have liked her to add, “My husband Harry, our son Sebastian, and my brother Giles are all present in the court.” She could then turn to face them and the jury would realize they were a happy and united family. But Harry wasn’t there, in fact Emma didn’t even know where he was, so she continued to look at the jury. Mr. Trelford moved quickly on. “Can you please tell the court when you first met Lady Virginia Fenwick?”

“Yes,” said Emma, returning to her script, “my brother Giles…” This time she did look across at him, and like an old pro, he smiled first at his sister and then at the jury. “My brother Giles,” she repeated, “invited my husband Harry and myself to dinner to meet the woman he’d just become engaged to.”

“And what was your first impression of Lady Virginia?”

“Stunning. The kind of beauty you normally associate only with film stars or glamorous models. It quickly became clear to me that Giles was totally infatuated with her.”

“And did you, in time, become friends?”

“No, but to be fair we were never likely to become bosom pals.”

“Why do you say that, Mrs. Clifton?”

“We didn’t share the same interests. I’ve never been part of the hunting, shooting, and fishing set. Frankly, we come from different backgrounds, and Lady Virginia mixed in a circle I would never normally have come across.”

“Were you jealous of her?”

“Only of her good looks,” said Emma with a broad grin. This was rewarded with several smiles from the jury box.

“But sadly, your brother and Lady Virginia’s marriage ended in divorce.”

“Which didn’t come as a surprise, at least not to anyone on our side of the family,” said Emma.

“And why was that, Mrs. Clifton?”

“I never felt she was the right person for Giles.”

“So you and Lady Virginia didn’t part as friends?”

“We’d never been friends in the first place, Mr. Trelford.”

“Nevertheless, she came back into your life a few years later?”

“Yes, but that wasn’t by my choice. Virginia started buying a large number of Barrington’s shares, which came as a surprise to me, as she’d never previously shown any interest in the company. I didn’t give it a great deal of thought until the company secretary informed me that she owned seven and a half percent of the stock.”

“Why was seven and a half percent so important?”

“Because it entitled her to a place on the board.”

“And did she take up that responsibility?”

“No, she appointed Major Alex Fisher to represent her.”

“Did you welcome this appointment?”

“No, I did not. From the first day, Major Fisher made it abundantly clear that he was only there to carry out Lady Virginia’s wishes.”

“Can you be more specific?”